Item number: M139

Year: AD 1916-1925

Material: Silver

Size: 33.7 x 33.7 x 2.2 mm

Weight: 12.25 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a silver medal named “Khai Dinh Bao Jian,” awarded during the reign of Emperor Khai Dinh of the Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnam, between AD 1916 and AD 1925, a period when Vietnam was under French colonial rule as a puppet regime. The medal is circular in shape, with the four Chinese characters “Khai Dinh Bao Jian” engraved on the obverse side in the order of “top, bottom, right, left.” “Khai Dinh” refers to the emperor’s regnal era, while “Bao Jian” historically signifies the moon or a mirror in ancient China. Later, it was extended to denote a medal or treasure, indicating the profound influence of Chinese culture on Vietnam. In the centre of the obverse side is a sun motif, adorned with nine round beads on the flames. The reverse side of the medal features a five-clawed dragon, symbolisingthe emperor.

The medal “Khai Dinh Bao Jian” features holes on the upper and lower edges, intended for attaching tassells or other medals. Its appearance closely resembles that of a coin, leading to its local designation in Vietnam as “Tien,” while the French referred to it as the “Coin of Honour.” Prior to the Nguyen Dynasty’s rule in Vietnam, there may have been a similar system of medals, but precise records were lacking. It wasn’t until AD 1840 when the French arrived in Vietnam that Europeans first documented the Nguyen Dynasty’s court in Hue having a system of awards and decorations resembling those in the Western world.

During the Nguyen Dynasty, the court would cast gold and silver into “Tiens” as honorary rewards or appeasements for civil and military officials. In addition to this, on special occasions such as the New Year, the Elder Worshipping Festival, or the emperor’s 50th, 60th, and 70th birthdays, “Tien” would also be awarded as commemorative and reward tokens. Recipients could wear them by threading a rope through the hole of the “Tien,” often adorned with tassells at the bottom.

Based on the metal material, one can roughly determine the rank of the “Tien.” The highest rank, known as “Kim Tien” (Gold Tien), has four levels. In the early period of the Nguyen Dynasty, they were made of real gold, but later they gradually shifted to gold plating or basic metals. The next level, “Ngan Tien” (Silver Tien), sometimes follows European practises by indicating rank differences, but many “Silver Tiens” mainly display the regnal year of the emperor without specific rank distinctions.

In AD 1916, Nguyen Phuc Tuan ascended to the throne of the Nguyen Dynasty with the regnal name “Khai Dinh,” appointed by the French to replace his predecessor, Emperor Duy Tan, who sought to overthrow colonial rule. During Khai Dinh’s reign, he organised the last imperial examination in Vietnamese history and became the first Vietnamese emperor to visit Europe in AD 1922. However, in the eyes of Vietnamese nationalists, Khai Dinh was seen merely as a puppet of the French. Tragically, Khai Dinh passed away in AD 1925 at the age of 40 due to tuberculosis, having been frail and in poor health since childhood.

物件編號: M139

年代: 公元 1916-1925 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 33.7 x 33.7 x 2.2 mm

重量: 12.25 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚公元1916至1925年間，越南阮朝的啟定帝在位期間頒發的「啟定寶鑑」獎章，彼時阮朝是法國殖民體制下的傀儡政權。該銀質獎章外觀為圓形，正面按照「上下右左」順序，依序刻有「啟定寶鑑」四個漢字。「啟定」是皇帝年號；「寶鑑」在古代中國意指月亮或鏡子，後來也被延伸為獎章或珍寶的雅稱，能見中華文化對越南的深遠影響。正面的正中央為太陽圖騰，太陽烈焰處有九粒圓珠作為裝飾。獎章背面則是一條象徵皇帝的五爪龍。

獎章的上下緣各有一個孔洞，用以串聯流蘇裝飾或其他獎章。「啟定寶鑑」外表和錢幣非常相似，該種型制的獎章在越南當地稱作「錢(Tien)」，法國人則稱其為「榮譽錢幣」。儘管在阮朝統治越南以前，當地可能就有類似歐洲的獎章制度卻苦於缺乏確切紀錄。直到公元1840年，法國人抵達越南後，歐洲人才首次記載阮朝在順化的宮廷中，有一套類似西方的獎章獎勵機制。

阮朝宮廷會將黃金和白銀鑄成「錢」，作為犒賞或安撫文武官的榮譽獎勵。除此之外在特殊慶典，例如：新年、主旨是敬老的頌神節或皇帝的50、60和70歲大壽上也會頒發「錢」作為紀念和犒賞。受獎者能以繩子穿繫「錢」的孔洞配戴，並且往往在下方飾有流蘇裝飾。從金屬材質就能大致判斷「錢」的等級，最高等的「金錢(Kim Tien)」有四級，在阮朝早期以真金製成，到後期逐漸改為鍍金或基本金屬。次一等的「銀錢(Ngan Tien)」，有些效法歐洲標明等級差異外，更多的「銀錢」僅有標示皇帝年號。

公元1916年，阮福晙以年號「啟定」被法國拱立為阮朝第12任皇帝，以取代意圖推翻殖民統治的前任維新帝。啟定帝在位期間，舉辦越南史上最後一場科舉，在公元1922年成為第一位出訪歐洲的越南皇帝。但在越南民族主義者眼中，啟定帝僅僅是法國人的魁儡而已。公元1925年，自幼體弱多病的啟定帝因肺結核病逝，享年僅40歲。